The information we provide can enable a person to be a better and smarter consumer when selecting a tree service to do tree work.  Invariably, our evaluation of bids and proposed work result in a lower total cost to the consumer because no unnecessary tree work will be done.  Be a good consumer. Become informed before you buy tree services.

Tree pruning should begin at planting with broken, cracked, and severely damaged limbs at first.  There are valid reasons to prune trees, such as reducing risk of failure, providing structure clearance, reducing shade and wind resistance, and/or maintain tree health.  Proper tree pruning removes no more than 25% of the foliage from a tree per growing season including individual limbs.  If you decide to thin a mature tree, make cuts primarily on tertiary branches, quaternary branches, and even smaller branches toward the canopy edge only.  A common malpractice on large trees is removing many or all interior low branches less than about four inches diameter. Industry professionals and many academics consider this over-thinning or lions-tailing to be no more than an income-generating scheme practiced by uninformed, untrained people practicing arboriculture.

Urban trees do not need to be pruned nearly as often or as much as most people (including most Tree Care service providers and Landscapers) believe and/or say they do.  Many people (Tree Care service providers and Landscapers) operate on the default principle that every urban tree should be pruned.  A more realistic default principal should be that 'mature or over-mature trees should be pruned only for good reason.'

In California it is a law that any service provided to the consumer that is priced above $500.00 must have a valid California State Contractors License in the category for which the service is performed.  This means that if you hire a Tree Service, make sure they have a C-61/D-49 Specialty Contractors License, not a C-27 Landscaping License.

Also make sure the company you are hiring has membership in professional organizations- such as the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), the Tree Care Industry Association, or the American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA)-demonstrates a willingness on the part of the arborist to stay up-to date on the latest techniques and information.  Arborist Certification is not a measure of standards of practice. Certification can attest to the tree knowledge of an individual but cannot guarantee or ensure quality performance.